The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-12-30

babe her to put IN her pVSA
"Charies. You are robbing yourself"
"Mel and / a bachelor, without a
wife. or chick, or child. Beside, ats
all charged; and will be paid when
vour husband comes home.
Mrs. Merrill sadly shook her head.
Uncle Charlie knew her torebodingSS.
Perhaps he shared them. B"t uncle
Charlie was always a child. In the
darkest day he could see sunlIght. II
he had been O. broker he couid nave
carried the most forlorn STOCK and'
when forced to give away, drop
his load and rejoice that he
was released from O. burden,
The mans confidence was as ada,
mant and his spirits as q perennial
fountain. He was determined to be-
lieye that his brother would return,
and If the absentee never came back,
so much the more was he bound TO
keep up for the happiness OF his WIDOW
and child.
"Why, Uncle Char'ie!" said George.
as he surveyed his presents, you did
not bring me one book"
"No more l did, said Uncle Charlie.
"But l will give you all my books
when you are q man, and you shall
be a. lawyer like me. You might look
at Jack the Giant Killer which l
gave you last year, if you had not
torn it all to piecesl' e.,
"Oh / haven't, you naughty uncle"
said the child, as he produced In trl-
,,p,ph the we'll -kant classic.
"By the way, sister," said Uncle
Charlie, whose thoughts now reverted
TO his mornings adventure, 81 want
you to shock all the proprieties, and
brighten Mrs. Grundy out OF her wits,
this afternoon"
Little Geordie looked up, wonder
ing what kind OF a New Years game
this might portend. ~.
81 met a little witch this morning"
Geordie's eyes were ready to burst
from his head. and his mother d.
vided her smiles between the lively
uncle and the astonished nephew.
"And / wish you to call and see her
with me-"
"Oh, l should so like to see a WITCH"
cried Geordie. "Is it in the menag.
Grief"
"Never you mind, Geordie. You'll
see the witch soon enough"
$50 he did; but ! must not get be-
lore my story. He is looking at her
now, over the top of his everlasting
newspaper.
Mrs. Merrill was not hard to per-
suade to accompany her brother. She
was accustomed to his cratic move
meuts, and never thwarted them; for
whatever conventional rules might be
laughingly broken, the man was al
ways right, for his heart was kind,
and his head was sound. So little
Geordie was left, with Jack the Giant
Killer in charge of the house, and I'm
Gle Charlie took his sister with him to
keep his appointment with the little
enigma and her mother
We need not go with him on his sec
ond call, for the result Of the inter
view will develop itself. When Uncle
Charlie and his sister returned, q new
tableanx met their ewes in the parIer.
A stranger, with huge musrache and
beard to give an upholsterer
an outfit, was sitting In the best
and contest chair; and Geordie,
on the strangers knees, was compar.
ing his hirsute visage with that o.
Jack OF high renoR. Uncle Charlie
stopped a second at the door. Mrs
Merrill rushed past him, with ascream
of delight, and in a moment more
Geordie was rolling on the carpet
with the force of the conclusion; Mrs
Merrili's head was lost in the forest
on the strangers face, ond Uncle
Charlie was giving three cheers and
tiger. In this little Geordie vociferous
ly Joined, while he rubbed his knees
concluding, like a sensible boy, thai
to shout was better than to whine
All forthwith began to talk ut once
and we can not undertake to tell hal
| they said. OF chief interest to on
tale is the explanation which Mrs
| Merrill gave Of her absence; how SD
went to see Mrs. Oliver, whose hus
band went to California.
"And died there" interrupted Mr.
Merrill.
"She knows that, poor soul" sail
Uncle Charlie. (I don't think uncl
was half as sorry for that death as b
pretended
"But she don't know" said Mr.
Merrill, chat her husband left he
$4,000. He a my partner, an,
we were very fortunate. 4 wish h
could have lived to return with me
But he died full Of love ior his wifi
and child, and charged me with man,
messages to them. ] closed his eyes
and from that day set my face home
ward
mWhy did you not writer
$50 / did, q dozen times. Blu
where ID Charlie hed2 have not d
much as shaken hands with him yet.
II guess he's gone to see the witch,
cried little Geordie.
"0r the witch's mother, said Mrs
Merrill.
Uncle Charles soon returned, an
confessed the fact that be thought j
his duty I'd break the intelligence t
Il AL-HAI - 49, sMM|H